By Muin Abdul Majid, NNN-Bernama,
Dubai : Malaysia feels that discussions between the Muslim world and the West should lead to action that can bring the stakeholders closer together rather than remaining mere words.
This stance was conveyed at a recent meeting organized within the framework of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Astana, Kazakhstan, where Malaysia was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri.
“What we emphasized was the need for action rather than continuous rhetoric,” he told Bernama here.
Abdul Rahim said the Astana talks, chaired by the foreign minister of Kazakhstan, were more or less a continuation of similar gatherings held in Malaysia, the latest being the “Third International Conference on The Muslim World And The West: Bridging The Gap” in June 2008.
“The agenda is actually to enlighten people about the danger of having this idea of a clash of civilizations, to make both parties understand each other and bridge the gap. So all of us were the bridge builders at the conference,” Abdul Rahim said.
The meeting was attended by representatives of some 60 countries, including OIC member states and their partners from the West, as well as OIC Secretary-General Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.
In Astana, Abdul Rahim also took part in the Seventh Asia Co-operation Dialogue (ACD) Ministerial Meeting where the discussions touched on the current financial crisis, with many delegates expressing apprehension over developments on the global economic stage.
“They also expressed worries about inflation, rising energy and food costs, and talked about an initiative on food security among Asian countries,” he said.
Abdul Rahim said Malaysia was committed to the ACD which comprises 30 Asian nations including China, India and Japan, as well as those from the Middle East. It was initiated by former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Malaysia was the prime movers in education co-operation among ACD countries, having started the Asia e-University with a RM100 million soft loan from the Malaysian government, he said.
“The institution hopes to attract more students from the 30 countries involved,” said Abdul Rahim.
The ministers backed the accession application of the Kyrgyz Republic, which became the 31st participant of the Dialogue, and adopted a decision to grant the status of “Partner for Development” to Morocco.
Abdul Rahim also visited the Gulf states of United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman before proceeding to Beijing for the Asia-Europe Summit taking place in the Chinese capital this week.